Storage Possibilities

I'm determined to have a better child:kitchen ratio in the future. From our blog, lately, you might be wondering where we have stored the children. Well, in the cabinets, for one. I must say, I think it's the perfect size for Hylton.


Boxes, for another. Taking rides in these large boxes provides endless entertainment. Well, and indignation on the part of some who were not invited to participate.




We let them out occasionally to recreate, though


...or to eat. This happens to be the very first thing that was cooked on our new stove. Doug has a whole love affair with pancakes that I don't understand.


Doug wishes you to view exhibit A: "The Stove Up On Blocks." The adjusting leg got damaged somewhere along the way, so we improvise in our trashy way until a new one comes. Hey, we have an image to maintain.


And, well, this post wouldn't be complete without some recent pictures of our fourth baby, named Kitchen. Which it's actually beginning to resemble. We have basic cabinet framework in, and Monday they will come measure for our countertops. This leaves us at ~T-2 weeks. Oh Happy Day!

Here's to the Assembly

Suddenly there's something very incongruous about the shop-vac in the kitchen. It hasn't intruded upon my notice until now, but somewhere between the finish floor and bringing in appliances and cabinets (albeit just boxes at this stage) it has become an intruder.
...I think that's a good sign.




And here's my little handyman wannabe. You should have seen him trying to pick things up with the hammer jammed down the front of his jeans; classic.
Behind him is the partial stack of boxes and parts that is begging to be assembled into kitchen cabinets... Gotta love IKEA! Cheap, but we'll probably be begging for a gun at the end of it all.

Feathering the nest....and the little birdies

I have been stressing over what to put above our fireplace mantle. Normally, I wouldn't care too much, but this is the first and most prominent space you see when you come into our house. It is the focal point of our only family living space (aside from the kitchen). No small beans, I think. I thought about a collage of photo frames, having a family portrait done, an assemblage of vases/ candle holders, a non-picture art piece, what the subject should be. I wanted it to reflect our tastes well and jive with the room and emit a calm feeling.

I came across this painting and considered contacting the museum to have a print made of it:

Eighteenth century, Baldwin House Overmantle, unknown author, Worcester Art Museum

But then I was at Ross yesterday and they had some prints on canvas that had been enhanced with paint and it was inexpensive (a big plus). I have to admit that it seems an easy out and a little unimaginative, but I like it all the same. The only problem is that it makes my fireplace look truly shabby. I'll have to do something about that soon...



I think if Doug had been allowed to choose, he would have picked a Tuscan hillside scene and, me, I picked the rainy Paris boulevard. Just another reminder of how different we are. He wants to retire in warmer climes and soak up sun on a rock in the dessert and I want to move to the Puget Sound where it rains most of the year. Go figure.

In other news, I was invited to make skirts with some girlfriends last night and this is what I produced. Evie obligingly put Bun-Bun behind her back for the photo, but I could not induce her to remove the thumb. C'est la vie!





Projects like this inspire me with fervor to do more!

Treading the Boards

....Well, literally at least. Walking has been pure delight since we got our NEW FLOOR put in! We no longer walk on all sorts of baby snack remains that hid in all the crooks and crannies of the subfloor, or feel the cold draft coming up from the LAKE under our HOUSE! Just perfectly clean, beautiful floor.




We've had lots of willing workers!




Including Thor


And Neon Man (a rare form of Waste Managament Super Hero)






Finally, to have our dining table in the designated spot (as opposed to other areas of the kitchen or living room) and over floor that I can clean is heaven!!


We also got our patio door replacement and Doug was able to get that put in this weekend with the help of some friends. It is very beautiful (and definitely better than the plywood that's been there for about a month), but also reminds me of ALL the work we have ahead of us in the yard for many summers to come.